I Just Read About That…

[DID NOT ATTEND: June 28, 2024] Silversun Pickups / Hello Mary

I have had ample opportunity to see Silversun Pickups, a band that I like, but have never really gotten into.  When they came around last year, there were two or three shows I could have gone to.  And now they were back, playing The Stone Pony.

The thing that made this year’s show even more appealing was that Hello Mary, a band I’ve been quite interested in, was opening.

But there were two problems.

I don’t really like The Stone Pony at all.  And I would prefer not to go to shows there unless it’s the only option.  True, it was the only option, but my displeasure with the Stone Pony outweighed my desire to see either band.

Plus it was a Friday night.  I don’t like going out on Friday nights on  the best of weeks, but Asbury Park on a Friday night.  Ick.

When I finally caved and said maybe I should go, it was sold out, so I made the right choice.

I would still like to see both bands, although Hello Mary is a higher up.

The New York trio’s self-titled full-length debut, out March 3, is a blast of distorted chords, sunny harmonies, and all-consuming angst that will renew your faith in the hopelessly dated and/or timelessly classic sounds of alternative rock. Hello Mary is an instant contender for 2023’s most bracing entrance to the stage, sharp and self-assured. Oh yeah, and the band’s two founders — singer-guitarist Helena Straight and bass player Mikaela Oppenheimer, both 18 — just graduated from high school this summer.

I have since listened to the album and I love it.  They had opened for Blondehell, but I missed  that show. Then they had a headlining tour that they had to cancel. So this is my third time missing them.